P-51 Mustang - Page 2

Service in the ETO, Table of Aces, and Post-War

Dec. '43 - 354th FG Takes Mustang into Combat in ETO

The 354th Fighter Group, dubbed "Pioneers," started flying P-51B's over
France in December, 1943. Originally part of the Ninth Air Force, the
354th was loaned to the Eighth for bomber escort duty. They received
their Merlin-powered P-51B's in November, along with the formidable Don Blakeslee as a temporary CO.

Blakeslee led the 354th on several missions and drove
the pilots hard;
he insisted that they engage the German fighters and maintain a
collision course, in a deadly game of aerial "chicken," counting on the
Germans to break off first. The 354th flew through the bad winter
weather of 1943-44, typically dividing its three squadrons into four
color-coded flights of four planes each.

Among the outstanding pilots of the 354th that winter were Glenn Eagleston and Jim Howard.
Howard earned the Medal of Honor for shooting down six Bf 110's on
January 12, 1944. (Officially, he only claimed two destroyed and four
probables.) Unfamiliar with bomber escorts like the Mustangs, the
Luftwaffe employed twin-engine Bf 110 Zerstorer types against
the USAAF, with little success. The 354th resumed its original tactical
role in Spring 1944, in preparation for D-Day. In mid- June, they moved
to Criqueville, an advanced base in Normandy and simultaneously
returned to the Ninth Air Force command. Supporting the Allied ground
advance and following it from forward bases, the 354th moved again, to
Gael in August, then to Orconte in September. Lt. Col. Lowell Brueland
and Major Richard Turner distinguished themselves in this period.

In the 1944-45 winter, the 354th flew P-47's before equipping again
with P-51's in early 1945.

Apr. '44 - MTO Groups Get Mustangs

By early 1944, the delivery of P51-B/C models began to accelerate.
Among the early beneficiaries were the 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups of
the Fifteenth Air Force (15AF). Formerly flying Spitfires, as part of
the Twelfth Air Force, the 31st and 52nd transitioned to Mustangs in
April, at the same time as they were transferred to the 15AF. On April
21, the 31st flew their new mounts, P-51B's, to escort B-24's on a
bombing mission over Ploesti, Romania. They claimed 17 German planes
destroyed, with losses of two Mustangs; for this mission they received
a Distinguished Unit Citation.

Operating from rough-and-ready bases in Italy, places like
Ghisonaccia, Madna, San Severo, Ramitelli, and Lesina, the 15AF fighter
pilots primarily flew escort missions to targets in Romania, Austria,
Czechoslovakia, and southern Germany. Two other 15AF fighter groups,
the 325th "Checkertails," and the famed 332nd Tuskegee Airmen "Redtails," also
received the Mustangs in Spring 1944. All four of these groups
transitioned to the -D model within a few months.Some notable Mustang
aces of the MTO whose stories are told here include: Robert Goebel, Herky Green, John Voll, and James Varnell.

June '44 - Arrival of -D Models

By far the most numerous P-51 (over 8,000 produced) and also the best
known, the -D model development began in 1943. It improved two
drawbacks of the B/C model: poor rearward visibility and inadequate
firepower of four machine guns (which were mounted at an angle and were
subject to frequent jams).

Even the Malcolm hood hadn't fixed the P-51's rearward visibility
problem. Learning from the British installation of a "bubble" or
"tear-drop" canopy in the Spitfire, both Republic (for its P-47) and
North American Aviation (for the P-51) started work on a Plexiglass
bubble canopy in mid-1943. For stability, and to prevent
distortion, the canopy was mounted in a very deep, rubber-lined metal
sill; it slid back on rails. To accommodate the canopy, the rear
fuselage was cut down. The new version included six .50 caliber
machine guns, mounted upright, minimizing jams.

Test pilot Bob Chilton first flew the XP51-D in November,
1943. The Inglewood plant eventually turned out 6500 -D models; the
Dallas plant produced 1600 of the identical -K model.

The 85 gallon fuselage tank was included on the P51-D from the
start. The directional stability problems that it caused for the B/C
models worsened in the first D models. To correct this, a dorsal fin
was added, starting with the Block 10 of the P-51D.

Another new feature of the P-51D was the K-14 gunsight,
which greatly assisted deflection shooting. The K-14 computed and
displayed the correct angle of deflection needed to hit a moving
airplane. The pilot entered the wingspan of the target and the range,
lined up the target in the pipper, and pressed the trigger button.

June '44 - Mustangs in the ETO, Mission to Russia

It was in the European Theatre, flying over Germany, that made the
Mustang and many of its pilots famous. The Eighth Air Force had
struggled with its daylight bombing missions over Germany; unescorted,
the bomber losses were unsustainable. With the Merlin engine, the
Mustang could fly over eight hours, and have time to dogfight the
Luftwaffe as well. As mentioned above, the 354th Fighter Group,
temporarily assigned to the Eighth AF, was the first group to fly
Mustangs over Europe. Other groups followed. The 357th flew its first
Mustang combat missions in February, 1944. Shortly, the 4th Fighter
Group, whose boss, Don Blakeslee,
had been tirelessly begging for Mustangs, received their P-51B's, in
time for "Big Week," the USAAF late-February assault on Germany. "Big
Week" was a direct attack on Germany's fighter force: bombing its
manufacturing plants and airfields, and shooting its operational planes
out of the sky.

In early 1944, VIII Fighter Command (VIII FC) focused on destroying
the Luftwaffe. It encouraged and publicized aces; destruction of planes
on the ground "counted" in a pilot's tally. This was an unusual step;
no other air force has ever recognized "ground kills" in a fighter
pilots claims. But VIII FC figured that "a plane was a plane" and
strafing was hazardous and unpopular. So it offered the recognition.

They also juggled the sometimes conflicting demands of morale and
manpower requirements. Early on, the 8th followed RAF policy, rotating
pilots off front-line combat after 200 hours. But the extended escort
missions used up 200 hours quickly; eventually the limit was raised to
300 hours. Indeed the USAAF recognized the value of sending experienced
pilots home to train new ones. The Germans tended to keep their pilots
at the front, until they were killed or until the war ended.
Consequently, later Mustang pilots frequently found their German
opponents to be untrained.

Decoration of personal aircraft with kill-markers, little swastikas
or crosses near the canopy rail, was permitted or even encouraged. As
was decoration of planes with group color schemes, thus the 352nd were
the "Blue-Nosed Bastards of Bodney."

Oct. '44 - Ben Drew Downs Two Jets

The German Me 262 jets could outfly the Mustangs by 100 MPH in level
flight. Fighting them on equal terms, at altitude, was hopeless. Their
only weakness was their slow acceleration, so they were vulnerable at
take-off. The Mustang pilots sought to make the most of this (and of
their superior numbers) by loitering over Me 262 airfields. On October
7, 1944, he was over the Achmer airfield and surprised two jets taking
off, and shot them both down. (I am not positive, but I think this
was the only double victory ever recorded by a piston-engined aircraft
over jet-powered enemies. - SS.)

Jan. '45 - Operation Bodenplatte

On New Year's Day, 1945, the Luftwaffe made a final mighty assault, in
an all-out effort. The 352nd Group, of which John C. Meyer was then deputy
commander, was operating from field Y-29, Asche, Belgium. Meyer had a
hunch that the Luftwaffe might gamble on New Year's Day as a good day
to catch the Allied airfields napping. He felt the enemy would believe
a New Year's Eve hangover might have caused the pilots to sleep in that
morning. Meyer postponed the 487th Squadron's party one day, which
proved to be a wise decision. As Meyer was about to lead 12 P-51s off
the runway, the field was attacked by an estimated 50 enemy fighters.
Taking off with full wing tanks, Meyer shot down one FW-190 just after
he had raised his landing gear. Then, in a 45-minute running battle, he
downed another FW-190. The 352nd was credited with destroying 23 enemy
fighters that day. The superb actions of the 487th Squadron that day
earned them a Distinguished Unit Citation.

mid '45 - The Fastest Mustang - P51-H

Based on the improved Packard Merlin V-1659-9 engine, the fastest
Mustang, the P51-H was introduced into production in June, 1944. The
fuselage was lengthened by two feet, (to 33 feet, 4 inches) and the
rudder and fin were increased in height. Other changes were made to the
air intake, the canopy, the fuselage fuel tank (reduced to 50 gallons)
and the radiator ducts. Bob Chilton took up the first P51-H in
February, 1945. Along with the long-range P-47N, the P51-H was intended
for the invasion of Japan. Some were issued to operational units in the
Pacific before V-J Day, but none entered combat. 555 of the -H model
were built before the program was cancelled in 1946. In Korea, the
heavier and stronger -D model was preferred.

1950-53 - Korea

While the Korean War is thought of as a jet war, the Mustang, now
the F-51, played a key role in ground attack. F-51's flew over 60,000
missions in the Korean War, and were credited with destroying 12 enemy
aircraft. One Mustang pilot, Major Louis Sebille, earned the Medal of
Honor.

1950's - Other Foreign Users

July '69 - The Soccer War

In 1969, Honduras and El Salvador went to war, instigated by disputed
World Cup qualifying matches. In the brief war, both Mustangs and
Corsairs saw action, surely the last hurrah of these World War Two
veteran airplanes.

Survivors: Warbirds and Plane Rides

About 280 Mustangs survive today, half of them fly-able. Mustangs are the most popular of warbirds, featured at many airshows. It's even possible for thrill-seekers to take a ride on a Mustang, or fly one themselves. Stallion 51 offers rides for novices on dual-control aircraft.